Container and method of handling same



July 30, 196s c. EDDY 3,099,114

CONTAINER AND METHOD OF HANDLING SAME Filed NOV. 30, 1960 INVENTOR. HA/W55 /S fy United States Patent O 3,099,114 CNTAENER AND NEU-D F HANDUNG SAM Chartes Lonis Eddy, Flor-ham mk, NJ., assigner to American Can Company, New York, NX., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 72,7 i6 6 Claims. (Cl. 53-41) The present invention relates to fibre slip cover containers, and more particularly to such containers which are constructed in a manner which permits them to be transported from their place of manufacture to a lling station with their covers removably attached to them and with one end open, ready to be filled with a product.

One type of container which has long been in use is the so-called fibre salt can which comprises an unilanged tubular body having both off its ends closed by means of fibrous slip covers which are glued in place thereon. Heretofore, these cans have been nised almost exclusively for the packaging of salt and have been shipped by the manufacturer to the packer with both ends permanently `glued in place, the lfilling of the salt into the container being done through a small hole which is cut in the top slip cover.

Recently, however, such containers have been used in the packaging of non-owa'ble bulky goods such as stockings, lingerie, etc. In such packages, the top slip cover is imperforate, and the goods must be lfilled through an open end of the container. As a result, the containers must be shipped by the manufacturer to the packer with one of their ends bnsealed. The usual practice in such case would be to ship the lunsecured slip covers separately from the container. However, this method of shipment has certain drawbacks which are inherent in it because of Ithe nature `of the slip covers, which are drawn from iiat sheet stock and formed with single thickness peripheral franges which are iiimsy and easily distort-able until they are rglued in place on the container body, which thereafter supports them. As a result, the slip covers are easily damaged when shipped separately from the cartions in unnested relationship. if they are shipped in nested relationship in stacks, the slip covers have a tendency to lbecome wedged together and cannot be easily separated.

The present invention contemplates the elimination of these ldrawbacks by providing a container construction wherein a top slip cover is temporarily secured in place on the bottom `end of the container which it will eventually seal. To permit this, the top slip cover is made larger in `diameter than the bottom slip cover and is telescoped over Ithe bottom slip cover after the latter has been permanently assembled to the container 'but prior to shipment of the container to the packer.

In `order to stiften the flange of the telescoped slip cover and to cause it to shrink into tight frictional contact with the bottom slip cover, it is subjected to a heating :operation after it bas been positioned on the bottom of the container.

After the Itop slip cover has thus been temporarily secured in place on the bottom end of the container, the rigid bottom end assembly provides a sol-id base for it and consequently there is little or no chance that the top slip cover will become damaged or will fall off during the time it is shipped to the packer and is conveyed in bis runways. As a result, the packer is virtually assured of receiving a top slip cover with each container and of having it remain with the container 'during its 'handling prior to and during lling operation. In addition, since fthe container is shipped with its top end open, the packer need not remove the top slip cover prior to filling the container, but can defer this operation until he is ready to .glue the top slip cover per- Bglli Patented `Fuly 30, 1963 ICC manently l,onto the container. rIlhis is especially advantogeous in packing lines where the gluing station is yremoved from the filling station.

An object lof the invention therefore is the provision of a method of handling a fibrous slip cover container 'wherein the top slip cover is carried on the bottom end of the container during shipment, storage and/or filling -in such manner as to insure that it remain thereon until the packer is ready`to permanently secure it to the open mouth of the container.

Another object is the provision of a container construction which makes it possible to practice lthe instant method invention.

.Numerous other `objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the 'following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the container of the instant invention after it bas been filled and finally sealed;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 2 2 in lFiG. l;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the container with its top end temporarily secured in place 'over the bottom end, preparatory to shipment from its place of manufacture, and

lFIGS. 4 through 8 illustrate successive steps of the instant method invention.

As a preferred and exemplary embodiment `of the instant invention, IFIGS. l to 3 of the drawings disclose a novel container l0 which is specially designed to permit lthe practice -of the method steps of the invention. As disclosed in these figures, the container 10 comprises a tubular body 12 which is preferably cylindrical in crosssection but which can be `of any suitable cross-sectional shape. The bottom manginal end portion 14 of the body 12 is inwardly offset form 'the normal contour `onf the body in onder to receive a drawn bottom slip cover 16 which preferably is formed from suitable fibre sheet stock and is formed with a imperforate flat central panel 18 and an annular peripheral flange 2t? which eX- tends at right angles to the panel 13. The inside surface of the slip cover flange 20 and fthe outside surface of the necked-in bottom marginal end portion 14 of the body are Idisposed in substantially lface to face engagement and are permanently joined together by a suitable adhesive (not shown) which is interposed between them.

The upper marginal end portion 22 of the body 12 is also necked-in, but somewhat more shallowly than is the bottom marginal end portion 14, the difference in depth of offset between these two portions being equal to the thickness of the bottom slip cover iiange 20 so that the diameter of the outer surface of the ange 20l is substantially equal to the diameter of the youter surface of the necked-in body portion 22.

The container 10? also comprises a top slip cover 36 which is essentially similar in construction to but somewhat larger in diameter than the bottom slip cover 16, being provided with ya central imperforate panel 32 and right angled annular peripheral iiange 34. The inside diameter of the ange 34 is about equal :to or slightly larger than the outside diameter of the bottom slip cover ange 20 and the upper necked-in body portion 22, so that the top slip cover 22 can be telescoped onto either end of the container it? after the bottom slip cover 16- is permanently secured in place. To finally seal the container 1G, the top slip cover 3?l is glued onto the top end of the container body 12, -as seen in FIG. 2. However, since the container 10 must be filled with a bulky product 33, which may comprise an article made of a textile, the top slip cover 30 cannot be glued in place on the body 12 at its place of manufacture, but must be transported in unglued condition to the place at which the lling operation takes place.

In many instances, as where the container is manufactured by a container manufacturer, the empty unsealed container must be shipped and transported to the packers plant for lilling. Such transportation may necessitate the over-the-road shipment of such container by truck or rail and usually also includes a preliminary handling in conveyor runways in the packers plant in order to convey it to the filling station. In other instances, as where the container is manufactured adjacent the packers plant, over-the-road shipment is not necessary but the empty containers must still be transported to the iilling station by conveyor.

Frequently, after the container has been filled, the top slip cover 30 is manually placed in position over the open mouth of the container to seal it, this sealing operation usually taking place at a separate sealing station. To facilitate this sealing operation, it is desirable that the top slip cover 30 be immediately available to the sealing operator. The method steps of the instant invention, which will now be described, provide a mo-st convenient manner of fuliilling this rekuirement by making it possible to firmly but detachably secure the top slip cover 30 to the bottom end of fthe container during the time the container is being transported and filled, and by insuring that the top slip cover remain thus secured in position up until the time the illled container reaches the sealing operator, who needs only detach the `top slip cover from the bottom end of the container and slip it onto the upper end of the container to which glue has previously been applied.

As a preparatory step of the method invention, the bottom slip cover 16 is glued in place on the necked-in bottom marginal portion 14- of the body 12 in order to provide a partially formed container having a closed bottom end. Next, the top slip cover 30 is positioned outwardly of the closed bottom end of the container, as seen in FIG. 4, and is fthen pressed into telescoping relationship over the permanently secured bottom slip cover 16. This step is made possible by the fact that the top slip cover 30 is of larger diameter than the bottom slip cover 16.

In theory, the slip cover flanges 22 and 14 could be so dimensioned as to create a snug lit between them which would provide sulcient frictional engagement to retain the top slip cover 30 in place on the closed bottom end of the container until it is intentionally removed therefrom by the sealing operator. However, in actual praetice such a `snug llt cannot be consistently obtained because `of the fact that the drawn llange 34 of the top slip cover 30 has an inherent tendency to flare out and resume its original flat shape. This results in a loosening of its grip on the flange 2t) and ya consequent falling yolf of the top slip cover 30 from the bottom end ofthe container.

To prevent this, after the top sli-p cover 3i] had been telescoped over the bottom slip cover 16, it is subjected to a `shrinking operation which drives the moisture from `the iibrous stock of the ilange 34 and actually causes the flange 34 to contract diametrically into pressured engagement against the ilange 14 and to thus greatly enhance the frictional engagement between the top and bottom slip covers 30 and 16. This shrinking engagement also has the effect of setting the libres in the flange 34, and inhibits its tendency to return to its 'original flat state, thus substantially eliminating the inadvertent detachment of the top slip cover 3d lfrom the bottom end of the container.

Y The shrinking operation is preferably elfected by inserting the bottom end of the container, after the top slip cover 30 has been properly positioned thereon, into an annular metal shrinking ring 4@ which is maintained in a heated condition by any suitable means. In the instant disclosure, as seen in FIG. 5, the heat is applied by an open llame 42 which emanates from an annular gas burner 44. The ring 4t) is preferably provided with -a tapered mouth 46 to readily receive the `bottom end of the container. The interior portion 48 of the ring 4i), however, is preferably cylindrical and is so -dimensioned that it presses the ilange 34 of the top slip cover 30 into intimate face-to-face contact with the flange .14 during the time it is being heated in order to reshape the llange 34, if it has already become distorted, and to insure face-to-face contact between the flanges 34 and 14. The application of heat to the flange 34 drives out `a -good part of the moisture in its libres and causes it to contract and to shrink into tight, pressured engagement upon the flange Ztl. As soon as this has been accomplished, the container is removed from the shrinking ring 4G and lis thereafter transported to the lilling station. During this transportation, which as previously stated may include over-the-road shipment as well as inplant shipment, the top end member 3d remains securely in position on the bottom end of the container. FIG. 3 illustrates the position of the container components during such transportation. It will be noted that in this stage, the outer sunface of the flange 34 is substantially llush with the outer surface of the body :12. This is desirable because it Ilessens the possibility of having the raw edge of the llange 34 catch upon some other article, thereby causing detachment of the top slip cover 3%, and is made possible by the fact that the depth of offset of the neckedin portion 14 is substantially equal to the combined thicknesses of the slip cover `flanges 2t), 34.

At the filling station, the product 38 is inserted into the container 16 through its open top end, as seen in FIG. 6. During this lllling operation, the top slip cover 3i? remains in non-interfering position on the bottom end of the container, as shown in FIG. 6, and requires no attention from the filling operator.

After the filling operation has been completed, the necked-in top marginal end portion 22 of the container body 12 is covered with a -lm of an adhesive or glue Si) which is preferably applied by a small adhesive applying roller 52 as seen in FIG. 7. Concurrently the top slip cover Sil is removed from the bottom end of the container, as is also illustrated in FIG. 7. Such removal is made possible by the fact that the previously described shrinking operation, although resulting in a secure frictional Igrip of the top slip cover 30 around the bottom slip cover 16, does not permanently secure the top slip cover 30 in place on the container but merely secures it llrmly enough to prevent its inadvertent removal. Thus, when a straight longitudinal force is intentionally applied to the top slip cover 3i), it slides `along the bottom slip cover flange 20 and becomes detached from the container.

After the top slip cover 30 has thus been removed from the bottom end of the container, it is telescoped over the necked-in upper marginal edge portion 22 of the body 12 (see FIG. 8) and is permanently secured in place thereon upon the setting of the adhesive 50, after -which the lilled container 12 is ready for ship-ment through normal trade channels to the ultimate consumer. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the lill-ed container after the iinal sealing step has been accomplished. In this stage, the outer surface of the llange 34 is llush with the outer surface of the body 12, while the flange 20 is recessed a distance which is equal to the thickness of the flange 3'4.

It will be understood that the outer surface of the body 12 may be covered with a suitable label (not shown) which may either be printed directly on the body y12 or may take lthe form of a separate label sheet (not shown) which -is adhesively secured to the outside surface of the container and which may overlap and be secured to all or a part of the slip cover flanges 20, 34. If the label is thus overlapped, the fact that neither of the flanges 20, 34 eX- tends outwardly beyond the surface of the body 12 enhances the finished appearance of the container 12. However, it will be clear that the invention may still be practiced even if both marginal end portions of the body 12 are not necked-in, the main requirement being that the outside diameter of the bottom slip cover llange 20 be equal to the outside diameter of the upper marginal end portion `of the container so that the top slip cover 30 will t onto both the bottom and the top ends of the container.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant `advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts and .that changes may be made in the steps of the method described and their order of accomplishment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacriiicing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a tubular body having a top and a bottom marginal end portion, the diametral dimensions of said bottom marginal end portion being smaller than those of said top marginal end portion, a fibrous bottom slip cover having a peripheral flange which snugly engages around and is permanently secured to said bottom marginal end portion of said body, said ange having external diametral `dimensions substantially the same as those of said top marginal end portion, and a brous top slip cover with a peripheral flange having its internal diametral dimensions substantially the same as the internal idiametral dimensions of both said vtop marginal end portion and said flange ofthe bottom slip cover and detachably engageable around the ange of said bottom slip cover to retain said top slip cover in place on the bottom of said container prior to the filling `of said container w-ith a product.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said bottom slip cover is permanently glued to the bottom marginal end portion of said body and wherein said top slip cover is shrunk into place on said bottom slip cover.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein both the top and the bottom marginal end portions of said body are neckedin to accommodate said slip covers, the bottom marginal end portion being necked-in to ya depth greater than that of said top marginal end portion by a distance which is equal to the thickness of the ange of said bottom slip cover.

4. The method of handling tubular containers having brous top and bottom slip covers provided with flanges of different diametral dimensions, said -dimensions internally of said top cover being substantially the same as those eX- ternally of said bottom cover, which comprises permanently securing a flanged fibrous bottom slip cover onto the bottom marginal end portion of a container body, placing a flanged iibrous top slip cover telescopically over said bottom slip cover with the -ange of said top slip cover in frictional engagement with the flange of said bottom slip cover to detachably secure said -top slip cover in place, and transporting said container -With its top slip cover -thus secured and with its top end uncovered preparatory to lilling said container with a product.

5. The method of claim 4 with the 'additional step of shrinking the top slip `cover into position onto the bottom slip cover in order to intensify the frictional engagement between said slip covers during shipment.

6. The method of handling tubular containers having ibrous top and bottom slip covers provided with anges of different diametral dimensions, said ydimensions internally of said top cover being substantially the same as those eX- ternally of said bottom cover, which comprises permanently lglueing a flanged fibrous bottom slip cover onto the bottom marginal end portion of a container body, placing a anged brous top slip cover telescopically over said bottom slip cover, heat-shrinking said top slip cover onto said bottom slip cover in order to create a strong temporary frictional engagement between said slip covers, transporting said container with its top slip cover thus secured and with its top end uncovered to a lling station, filling said container With a product, removing said top slip cover yfrom the bottom of said container, and glueing said -top slip cover into place on the top end of said body to seal said container.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A CONTAINER COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM MARGINAL END PORTION, THE DIAMETRAL DIMENSIONS OF SAID BOTTOM MARGINAL END PORTION BEING SMALLE THAN THOSE OF SAID TOP MARGINAL END PORTION, A FIBROUS BOTTOM SLIP COVER HAVING A PERIPHERAL FLANGE WHICH SNUGLY ENGAGES AROUND AND IS PERMANENTLY SECURED TO SAID BOTTOM MARGINAL END PORTION OF SAID BODY, SAID FLANGE HAVING EXTERNAL DIAMETRAL DIMENSIONS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THOSE OF SAID TOP MARGINAL END PORTION, AND A FIBROUS TOP SLIP COVER WITH A PERIPHERAL SLANGE HAVING ITS INTERNAL DIAMETRAL DIMENSIONS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE INTERNAL DIAMETRAL DIMENSIONS OF BOTH OF SAID TOP MARGINAL END PORTION AND SAID FLANGE OF THE BOTTOM SLIP COVER AND DETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE AROUND THE FLANGE OF SAID BOTTOM SLIP COVER TO RE- 